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Why Bakersfield should be high on your road trip list. Yes, really

Sure, it’s hot. But it’s full of Basque food and vintage dive bars, and home to California’s most affordable historic hotel.

A bartender in a floral shirt and "TIKI-KO" cap pours drinks into three cocktail glasses at a colorful tiki-style bar with shelves of mugs and bottles.
Chris Vindiola pours lemon drops at Tiki-Ko, a hot spot in downtown Bakersfield. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
Culture

Why Bakersfield should be high on your road trip list. Yes, really

Sure, it’s hot. But it’s full of Basque food and vintage dive bars, and home to California’s most affordable historic hotel.

My drink looked like an anglerfish. At Tiki-Ko in downtown Bakersfield, the Singapore Sling — a combination of gin, Grand Marnier, pineapple, and various exceptionally potent liqueurs —  arrived garnished with a marigold and a lightbulb enveloped in two blue, interlocked cocktail umbrellas. It hung over the lip of the hurricane glass like the bioluminescent appendage of a deep-sea predator. 

When it comes to destinations for inventive cocktails, Bakersfield — the hot, dry, petroleum-rich seat of conservative Kern County — isn’t the first place that comes to mind. For most Northern Californians, it’s a town to be driven through on your way to L.A., not a destination at all. But — stay with us here — Bakersfield is actually awesome.

The 8-year-old Tiko-Ko (1919 K St.), filled with Christmas lights and netted glass buoys, bills itself as “a sunny place for shady people” who’ll throw back a classic mai tai along with the El Duderino, a rum, vodka, and coffee allusion to “The Big Lebowski,” or the 151 Swizzle, a hefty sour built around overproof rum. You might say it’s a silly place for serious connoisseurs.

A vibrant bar with colorful hanging lanterns and eclectic decor. Five people sit at the bar, engaging in conversation under a warm, glowing atmosphere.
Even on a Sunday night, Tiki-Ko is jumping. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
A tropical cocktail with an umbrella, flower, and straw sits on a bar. Beside it is a coconut-shaped drink with "Tiki-Ko Bakersfield, CA" and a bartender in the background.
The Singapore Sling and Pain Killer are popular cocktails. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard

“People sleep on Bakersfield,” said Mike Weick, Tiki-Ko’s lead bartender and a self-described skater punk. “They’re like, ‘A Bakersfield tiki bar? That’s weird!’” 

It’s true. “Bako” is weird. It’s both the birthplace of outlaw country music and a backwater of Big Ag and Big Oil. Few would consider it a must-stop dining or drinking destination, yet it’s dotted with charming family-run establishments that have stood the test of time. And it’s perfect for breaking up that long drive to L.A. — especially during the months when it’s not baking outside. Here are six places not to miss.

Three Basque banquets 

Basque cuisine is central to Bakersfield’s identity. Nowhere is this clearer than at Wool Growers, a 70-year-old restaurant in the Old Town Kern neighborhood, where an ordinary Saturday night feels like an extended family reunion for locals descendants of the shepherds and farmers of northern Spain and southwestern France, who first arrived here a century ago

Walk into this massive restaurant and banquet hall — filled with decorative sheep and historic photos of the original L.A. Rams mascot — and you’re likely to be clocked as a stranger, but that just means the floodgates of hospitality are about to open. Recommending the house red wine ($10 for a carafe), a patient server will explain the “complete setup,” the elaborate, family-style supper that begins with vegetable — but not vegetarian! — soup and continues with green beans, crispy french fries, and a bowl of penne with red sauce for good measure.  

A large group of people is seated at tables in a cozy restaurant, enjoying meals. The room is warmly lit, with framed paintings on the walls.
Wool Growers serves 250 to 300 guests on a typical Saturday night. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
A checkered table holds plates of food, including a salad, soup, and sliced bread. Two people pass a bowl of salad, with glasses of water and red wine nearby.
The "complete setup" will crowd the table with platters even before you've ordered. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard

If that sounds carb-heavy, wait for the meat parade. You can’t go wrong with pork chops smothered in garlic and a sturdy brown sauce ($32) or chicken cordon bleu in Madeira sauce ($30). For $12, a plate of beef tongue, pickled and thinly sliced is a smart play — but an $8 slab of Basque burnt cheesecake is a must. 620 East 19th St.

A few blocks away, the 123-year-old Pyrenees Cafe also serves a complete setup, but the vibe at this Basque spot is more casual. “Alo nola-zira” (“Hi, how are you?”) the neon sign reads. The drinks at this high-ceilinged former hotel near the original train station — balance the Old West with the Old World. Try a calimocho, a mix of red wine and cola, or a picón punch (aromatic Torani Amer aperitif with grenadine, soda water, and a brandy float). Don’t snooze on the happy-hour bar menu, a paradise of fried foods like whiskey-battered onion rings ($6) and house-made pastrami fries ($10). 601 Sumner St.

A cozy restaurant features people dining in booths, with a black-and-white historic photo on the wall. A server is delivering food, and a checkered tablecloth is seen.
The family-style dining room at the Basque restaurant Pyrenees Cafe. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
A table filled with diverse dishes, including fried items, grilled meat, a salad, bread, cheese platter, soup, and sauces, set on a checkered tablecloth.
Basque dining culture involves many courses — and is known for pickled cow tongue. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard

On weekends, Basque cuisine collides head-on with the American South at Noriega’s, another banquet hall in a strip mall across town where portion sizes are positively gargantuan. The barbecue plate ($32) comes with two ribs, two hot links, fried chicken, cornbread, and a choice of sides like black-eyed peas or dirty rice. It could feed a family of four. 4809 Stockdale Highway

Land of the neon dives

Some of Bakersfield’s better dives are found on downtown’s walkable side streets. The neon sign illuminating Guthrie’s Alley Cat (established 1940, cash-only) rivals San Francisco’s 500 Club for sheer visual bombast. Inside, you’ll find an Al Hirschfeld caricature of classic Hollywood stars, plenty of brawny beer drinkers, and the inked-up women who love them. As with Jessica Rabbit, Guthrie’s isn’t bad, it’s just drawn that way. 1525 Wall St.

For a more romantic alternative, Foxtail Lounge is a quiet craft-cocktail den with a 1960s Palm Springs aesthetic that offers $24 “fishbowl”-style drinks like the Nightcap, made from gin, chamomile, honey, apple, ginger, mint, and lemon. Perfect for a flirty pas de deux, it’s presented as a traditional tea service, saucers and all. 2030 Chester Ave.

A neon-lit bar sign reads "Guthrie's Alley Cat" with a playful cat illustration. Bright red and yellow lights illuminate the entrance at night.
Guthrie's Alley Cat has a bombastic neon sign. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
A cozy bar with a red and white checkered floor features a pool table, framed photos on yellow walls, and a jukebox. Patrons are playing pool and socializing.
The interior of the downtown dive is just as vibrant.
| Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard

There’s only one stylish hotel

While Bakersfield is full of motels to rest your head, especially along Highway 99, one institution stands above the rest — literally, as it’s one of downtown’s tallest structures. Built in 1928, the eight-story Padre Hotel slid into disrepair over the decades, but a 2010 renovation revealed a cozy, Spanish Revival gem with great views and a gracious lobby. King beds can be had for as little as $125 a night. Look closely at the hallway wallpaper, subtly patterned with oil derricks. 1702 18th St.

A man in denim stands at a reception desk with luggage. Behind him, a large mural of a woman in a cowboy hat is displayed, with cornfields in the background.
The Padre Hotel has undergone extensive renovations, but the charm is intact. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard
A white, multi-story building labeled "Padre Hotel" features a vintage design with a rooftop sign, striped awnings, and fire escape stairs on a sunny day.
The hotel's Spanish Colonial exterior looms over downtown. | Source: Jennifer Emerling for The Standard

Burn it off on the bluff

On days when it’s not too hot — Bakersfield averages 33 days a year (and rising) above 100 degrees — the Kern River bike trail is a fantastic way to get to know the city. It cuts across town with a 30-mile path that’s teeming with rabbits and ground squirrels. Atop Panorama Bluffs, you can gaze upon the lush Kern River valley and the southern end of the Sierra Nevada — as well as the pumpjacks dotting California’s biggest working oil field. It’s Bakersfield, after all.

Other spots to hit

Woolworth’s: The last outpost of a bygone American icon is under restoration downtown, and the lunch counter may reopen later this year. 1400 19th St.

Dewar’s Candy: Pronounced “de-WARS,” this old-timey soda fountain from 1909 draws crowds for milkshakes and famous taffies. 1120 Eye St.

In Your Wildest Dreams: Imagine a consignment shop that expanded into a two-story mall, and you’ll grasp the scale of this treasure trove. 2819 F St.

Andre’s: Home of the Big Burrito, this Googie-style 1950s drive-in was supposed to be the Central Valley’s first McDonald’s franchise, but the owners thought twice. 1419 Brundage Lane

Astrid Kane can be reached at astrid@sfstandard.com